Should you upgrade to the Galaxy S7 from the Galaxy S5?

The Galaxy S7 is a great melding together of the GS5 and GS6 — so is it time to upgrade?

Despite all of the advancements in the Galaxy S6 last year, millions who owned and loved their Galaxy S5 weren't super impressed by the new version. Even though the phone was made with better materials, had a nicer screen and dramatically improved camera, the loss of a removable battery, SD card and waterproofing were big changes that didn't sit well with people.

In some ways, that makes the Galaxy S7 tailor-made for anyone who has a Galaxy S5 and skipped last year's phone — it has all of the same great qualities of the Galaxy S6, plus an SD card, waterproofing and dramatically improved battery.

With most Galaxy S5 owners coming up on two years with their phone, it's time to consider an upgrade — we're going to explore if the GS7 is the way to go.

1. Hardware and specs

In terms of how the phones look and feel in use, is this even a contest? No, it is not. The Galaxy S7 is a marvel of modern smartphone engineering. The Galaxy S5 ... well, it wasn't that great even the day it was released, and it hasn't aged particularly well. The metal and glass construction of the GS7, despite its similarity to the GS6, is extremely impressive — although it sure is susceptible to dings and scratches over time. The GS5 may be a bit more robust, and easier to grip onto with the rubbery textured back, but I wouldn't ever make that trade off when it involves the bland and cheap physical design of the phone.

The great thing here is that Samsung has kept the smaller screen size of the Galaxy S5 consistent in the Galaxy S7, meaning you don't have to give up your compact and manageable phone in order to move to the latest in specs and capabilities. The two phones are almost the exact same height and thickness, and the GS7 is actually a couple millimeters narrower, making it even easier to hold.

Is this even a contest? No, it is not.

The screen size may have stayed the same, but the quality has definitely increased over the last two years. The bump from 1920x1080 resolution up to 2560x1440 immediately makes everything crisper, but it's the other parts of the display that have really improved: brightness, colors and viewing angles also upped their game a couple of notches. The Galaxy S5 surprisingly still holds its own today with a really solid display, but Samsung has moved on to much better since then.

More striking a difference can be found in the fingerprint sensors on these two phones. Well, saying "sensor" in reference to the Galaxy S5 is a bit of a misnomer, as it's more of a "scanner" that requires you swipe the tip of your finger over the entirety of the home button. That alone makes the experience really bad, even though it's just as secure as the one-touch component on the Galaxy S7. Moving to the newer style will feel like a revelation.

Internally, there are notable updates. The Galaxy S5's Snapdragon 801 is still a very capable processor, but you can't argue with the increased power, graphics performance and efficiency of moving to the Snapdragon 820 (or Samsung's Exynos 8 Octa) — particularly when you're talking about a phone you're likely to use for two years after buying it. The same goes for the jump to 4GB from 2GB of RAM

Category

Galaxy S7

Galaxy S5

Operating System

Android 6.0 Marshmallow

Android 5.1 Lollipop

Display

5.1-inch 2560x1440Super AMOLED

5.1-inch 1920x1080Super AMOLED

Processor

Quad-core Snapdragon 820or Octa-core Samsung Exynos 8

Quad-core Snapdragon 801

Storage

32GB

16/32GB

Expandable

microSD up to 200GB

microSD up to 128GB

RAM

4GB

2GB

Rear Camera

12MP f/1.71.4-micron pixelsOIS

16MP f/2.21.12-micron pixels

Front Camera

5MP f/1.7

2MP f/2.4

Battery

3000 mAhNon-removable

2800 mAhRemovable

Charging

micro-USBFast chargingQi wirelessPowermat wireless

micro-USB 3.0

Water resistance

IP68 rating

IP67 rating

Security

One-touch fingerprint sensor

Swipe fingerprint scanner

Dimensions

142.4 x 69.6 x 7.9 mm

142.0 x 72.5 x 8.1mm

Weight

152g

145 g

2. Software and performance

Much like the hardware, the Galaxy S5's software is starting to show its age. The Android 5.1.1 Lollipop currently available on the phone is much nicer than the Android 4.4 KitKat it launched with, but is a clear step behind the much slicker and visually appealing Android 6.0 Marshmallow that's available on the Galaxy S7. We tend to forget just how old that software looks when we're busy paying attention to the latest stuff ... and make no mistake, it looks old on the GS5 — the colors, transitions and odd features just don't look great nowadays.

Interestingly, the Galaxy S5 actually holds up pretty darn well in terms of daily performance — remember, we're still talking about a Snapdragon 801 processor here, powering just a 1080p display. Firing mine back up after a good amount of time in a deep slumber, I was surprised by how well it still performs in my typical use of apps. The Galaxy S5 alone doesn't exhibit much stuttering through the interface ... everything just moves at a bit slower pace. Setting it next to a Galaxy S7 you can tell things are slower all around on the older phone, but that's to be expected.

The software doesn't look great at this point, but the performance has actually held up well.

We know that Marshmallow will make its way to the Galaxy S5 at some point, presumably after the rollout for the Galaxy S6 series of phones is finished, but what we don't know is just how much of the Galaxy S7 experience will be coming back to the older phone. Chances are a few of the features will be left behind, but if the visual changes make their way back and performance can stay high then that update may give some legs to the old Galaxy S5.

In terms of battery life, it's a win for the Galaxy S7. Being able to swap out the Galaxy S5's battery was a bit of a crutch for it, as its 2800 mAh capacity just wasn't quite enough for a day of heavy use. With a larger (3000 mAh) battery and more efficient processor the Galaxy S7 can handle a full day much easier than the two-generation-old phone, though it isn't quite the battery campion that the larger Galaxy S7 edge is.

Add in the new charging features available in the Galaxy S7, which includes Samsung's Adaptive Fast Charging (compatible with Quick Charge 2.0) and both leading wireless charging standards, and you have a much improved overall battery experience. Not only will the Galaxy S7 last longer on an average day, but it's quicker to get charged up when your reserves run low.

3. Camera quality

Besides the hardware of the Galaxy S7, the next largest jump to observe is the improvement in camera performance. For its time the Galaxy S5 was actually pretty impressive for daytime shots, but where Samsung came up amazingly short was in low-light performance. The GS5's lack of OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) and weak combination of a small sensor and f/2.2 lens just didn't provide enough light to get any good shots in even decent lighting. That hasn't changed any over time.

Again, this isn't really a close competition.

Now in 2016, Samsung is completely hanging its hat on low light camera performance in the Galaxy S7. The new sensor and lens come together to give you lots of light in even troubling conditions, and it's a real treat to use. The daylight performance isn't miles ahead of the Galaxy S5 in the same way, but it is noticeably better in terms of clarity and particularly in focusing speed. Take a look at a few sample shots here to see how the two compare.

Galaxy S7 (left) / Galaxy S5 (right); click images to view larger

The photos are higher quality across the board here, and low light shots in particular aren't even in the same realm. But beyond the photo quality, the Galaxy S7's camera is much faster to open and take shots, quicker to focus in every situation and more capable with new video recording modes, a full manual camera mode and automatic HDR when shooting in auto mode.

At this point it's clearly established that there's far more to this upgrade than just one area, but the big jump in camera quality is one area that's going to weigh heavily on many people's decision.

4. The bottom line

Moving from your current phone two years later to the newest model of the same device definitely feels like the path of least resistance, but in this case it's also just a really good decision. Whereas upgrading to the Galaxy S6 last year would've been more costly and involved losing some features that Galaxy S5 owners coveted, this year there isn't really anything to complain about. The Galaxy S5 is still a fine phone today, actually, but we wouldn't blame you for looking for something new — and if you choose the Galaxy S7, you're getting a dramatically improved hardware experience, a better screen, better performance (now and into the future) and a mind-blowing step up in camera quality.

You got your money out of the GS5 — time to move on.

At the same time, in the upgrade process you haven't lost waterproofing (though you did lose the USB port flap!), the SD card slot, the compact size or the familiarity with Samsung's software and services. Sure the battery can't be removed anymore, but the battery is also bigger and accompanied by fast charging and wireless charging tech — that just isn't a reason to hold yourself back.

And because you're likely coming up on two years using the Galaxy S5, chances are there will be some financial incentives that will help with your Galaxy S7 purchase. If you bought your GS5 outright you've gotten your money out of it at this point (but obviously, look into selling it anyway), and if you were on a contract it'll be time to get your carrier to help out a bit in terms of a financing or lease program. Now that doesn't mean the Galaxy S7 is inexpensive in any way — it's still going to set you back at least $600 — but considering all of the factors this is going to be a pretty easy upgrade to make.

Reader comments

Should you upgrade to the Galaxy S7 from the Galaxy S5?

Hi
Im not sure get Samsung galaxy s7 or s7 edge or note 7. Currently have a galaxy s5 worst phone ever had its not a water phone if have wet hands the phones play up doing stupid things. It freezes and ive drop my phone screen cracked and sometimes screen does stupid things cant use it few minutes and when people ring me say if i have on silent switches to vibrate and if i have sound switches to vibrate and sometimes cannot go back button and much more which phone you recommend i would like s pen instead writing what I want for supermarket be easy to right with s pen

i have samsung galaxy s5, and i dont see too too much features that will make who has s5 to upgrade to the s7

i dont like the design of the s7, its nice but its look like iphone 6 and i dont like the back glass cover for mobiles

the samesung galalxy s5 still fast and have a nice display, and nice 16 mp camera, it takes 16:9 photos aspect ratio but the s7 take 4:3 photos aspect ratio and thats not nice, becz most of the screens today are 16:9

Depending on the funds available. You can get a great galaxy S6 now for a good price which will have marshmallow shortly... cheaper and almost as good. I have a battery backpack on mine now and it goes for days...

I have an HTC One M7 and my wife has the Galaxy S5. I have yet to find a reason to upgrade either device. The newer phones are definitely upgrades but for me, the incremental improvements are not worth the cost. Our phones are still fast enough, have nice screens, last through a full day, and take good enough pictures. I'm considering purchasing another M7 when mine dies at a cheap rate and continue using that phone as opposed to an upgraded model. They both do everything I need and then some.

I'll probably wait a another year and get the S7 at a discounted price. Quite satisfied with the performance and experience of my GS5. People rail on ATT re: updates, however I think all builds/updates that ATT has pushed out for the device have been very stable. Not mentioned in the article...but my "reasons" for upgrading will essentially be for Samsung Pay and the Theme Store...things that are sadly missing from the Marshmallow build of the GS5. Incrementally better processor and camera are plusses.

Thanks for the GS3 nostalgia, I still rock that device as a backup phone. If you root, debloat and xPosed that phone...its still usable as a daily driver IMO.

I'm in car sales every time I sold a car i take picture with customers and never ever loose battle with LG and even iphone 6splus. My GS5 beat them all every single time without fail. Then I tag the photo with photo face tag. I can call, text and email right from the photo

Common bro don't bring S3 and S4 to the table, they are nice but display is horrible, S5 display as good as S6 and S7, S6 and S7 has are faster and brighter of course camera on S6 and S7 are lot better. Last but not least S6 and S7 are extremely beautiful phones. with SD slot on S7 definitely worth the upgrade. to tell the truth I'm still S5 because I just can't give up photo face tag 'cause it's the most important feature for me. for you guys not a big deal because 9 out of 10 Samsung users don't even know the feature exist and 9 of of 10 out of 10 Samsung users not fully understand and master the Touchwiz. Just buy the S7 you won't regret. DO not ever give if you don't know how to use the phone, go Youtube search for tips and tricks

I am a cellphone fanatic. I used to have the S2 (sold it), but currently I have the S3, S5, and S6 Edge. What traits does the S7 have, that I haven't already seen? Just to tell you I also have a LG G4 and a LG V10. I don't know where I would be without my phones.

They miss you, go give your phones a hug right now. Make sure you don't put them all in the same drawer overnight, or you might wake up to a litter of baby iPhone SE's the next morning. Encourage them to practice safety and keep their cases on at all times. And it isn't polite to backwash the power cord.

I like my S5 Active. It's waterproof, shatter proof, SD card slot and removable battery. I also have it in a case so who gives a crap if it's plasticy vs metal. Camera on my S5 is awesome. Looks like the S5 photos in this article are actually the best but maybe that's just me. Bottom line for me, my current phone is just fine and fully paid for no contract. That's the no brainer!

I doubt it but according to one of my best buy phone center buddies. More then a few s4 and s5 have been trading in . And almost to a man there first reasons where the return of the sd card and water proof .and the bigger battery

LG is holding on to the only trump card they have. Which is remarkable battery . But I and most of the world have move on. As a known phone geek and a person with more then my share of different phones I have never once carried a extra battery nor do I know of any of my power using geek phone buddies . The key is to buy a phone with good battery life (gs7 edge) and your good . The g3 4 and v10 all have that feature and the masses still went Meh . But to each there own .

If I could just have a pure Google experience on my S5, I'd keep it. Samsung just left this phone behind in terms of updates, still on 5.0 here with Verizon. I'm considering a Moto X Pure at this point. Nexus 5x is runner up.

Well Android, we had a good run...but now that Apple has basically re-released the iPhone 5S I must jump ship. I simply could not resist their vague yet inspiring jargon. It was too much for me. I actually broke down from years of resisting the iPhone and purchased 2 of every color. And yes, I ordered a matching turtle neck for each of them. You Android folks have no class.....I know this because I just purchased all the remaining class available in 2016. I feel better than I ever could feel with an Android. I feel....I feel....INVINCIBLE!!! It felt good to finally say that. Whew. Goodbye Phil. Goodbye "You gotta relax" Jerry. Goodbye Russell. See ya Drew-Drew. Maybe I'll return when Android has more to offer. When they finally learn to trick me into buying the same old thing but better this time. Maybe when they can literally sell me the same old thing by allowing me to turn in my old same old things to be taken apart and made into new old things. Android will never get it. ::DROPS MIC:: ::TRIPS OVER IT AND FALLS OFF STAGE::

Yep, which is very unfortunate. No "rapid charging" gives me 100% in less then 10 seconds like a battery swap does. Nor does "rapid charging" refresh my battery when it starts only holding 50% of its original capacity in under 2 years.

Who carries around a backup battery? From executive to fast food general manager, I know no one who carries around spare batteries. I find myself hard pressed to think of someone who can't afford to go 1 HOUR without their phone in their hands.

A GM of a professional sports team near the end of the trade deadline or free agency maybe. A parent with a child in the hospital maybe, but I don't know any parents that carry around a spare battery

Plenty of people. I keep one in my jacket pocket. It's tiny, much MUCH smaller than a portable USB power bank, and gives me 100% battery in less than the 10 seconds it takes to swap it out. And it cost me all of under $10 (OEM, I don't with aftermarket batteries). If I'm busy at work, or spending the day on-foot, then yes going without my phone for an hour is not an option.

A phone that is actually used to any real degree doesn't last a full day, no matter what those nice marketing people wrote on the box.

It's unfortunate that your circle of acquaintances aren't familiar with the concept of replacing batteries in devices. They've heard of AA and AAA batteries, right? Before Apple introduced the anti-consumer abomination that is the iPhone, EVERY SINGLE CELLPHONE IN EXISTENCE had a removable battery, and they lasted DAYS. Now batteries don't last a full day, and they're glued in.

I hardly think it's sad my circle of friends doesn't carry around spare batteries. In fact I think it speaks more to sadness that you can't go an hour without your phone whether it be for work related purposes or personal reasons. Any case is a situation I myself wouldn't want to be in.

You are correct, no phone lasts all day, but 80% of the country is capable of putting their phone on the charger and finding other tasks to do at work, or school work in the case of teens. While at home you can clean, spend time with family, prepare a meal, walk your dog, watch a TV show it movie, find a hobby, any number of things to occupy themselves for 1 hour while their phone charges. Tomorrow, for example, I will leave my house at 9am to run errands. Back by 1 or 2, have to be at work by 4, I'll charge my phone while I prepare for work. I'll go to work with 100%, and seeing as how I'm there to work and DON'T NEED TO USE MY PERSONAL PHONE MUCH, My battery WILL last until I return home.

If you use your phone a bunch while at work, you're either NOT WORKING, or you have a job a monkey could do because it allows you to **** around on your phone for 8 hours or, and the most obvious reason, your job should provide you a company phone since it's required for you to use it so much.

Face it bud, you spare battery carriers are in the minority, not the majority. Only reason I see to carry a spare is you travel a lot and spend a lot of time in airports and planes. In which case you likely have a work phone and/or work laptop to stay in touch

At least a female can put one in a purse, what happens when it's 90 degrees and you don't need a jacket? Carry it in your pocket so it can sit in the 90 degree sun, or carry a man purse? Spare batteries are required for 20% of the public at most

And the cool thing is: if you're one of those who don't need to remove/swap your battery, then YOU DON'T HAVE TO TOUCH YOUR REMOVABLE BATTERY and having it be removable does you absolutely no harm (actually it helps you as it increases the longevity and resale value of your phone later).

Nice 80% figure there, given that 67.34% of all statistics are made up on the spot. Very convincing.

Problem is, you anti-battery folks don't seem to get that if the battery was removable LIKE IT WAS FOR DECADES, it didn't affect you ONE BIT if you didn't use it. But those who DID didn't get left out in the cold, and a single device made everyone happy. Wanting a removable battery doesn't hurt anyone but helps many. You refusing to acknowledge its value to a significant part of the consumer population, insisting that they should just suffer and do without because you can't be bothered to not use something that just happens to be there is arrogant.

Our stance deprives no one of anything and makes everyone happy. Your stance screws over a large part of the consumer base.

It boils down to this, buy what you need and what you desire and don't ***** when a phone doesn't have a feature you desire. You don't want it don't buy it. There's phones with removable batteries like the G5, go for it. Fact is, this is the way the market is shifting, adapt or don't.

I'd love to. Thanks for that advice. Just let me know what phone out there has an OLED screen, MicroSD slot, and removable battery so I can do exactly that.

Samsung USED to be the company doing that. The Galaxy Sx line were the phones... the ONLY phones... that met our needs. Now they've deviated from their core feature set.

Perhaps "shut up and deal, or F off" isn't the best attitude to give to others with a legitimate need and gripe who are asking for something to return to the way it used to be that wouldn't affect you at all?

I did in my HTC Incredible and Galaxy S3 days. At the time I was Systems Architect in charge of and on call for multiple government data centers. I'm the manager now so no longer paid on call but still need to be available at any moment. Regardless, the simplicity of wireless charging and increased battery life with the Galaxy S5 and now the S7 has long since made the days of mid-afternoon battery swapping obsolete. Plus it seems like the longevity for batteries has improved as well (they don't fail as often as they used to).

Again, this assumes that A) a person has an electrical outlet they can get to during the day, along with a wireless charging pad, and B) that they can sit around tethered to that spot for 15+ mins to get charged.

Yes it does. It's the main reason I went a year and a half without upgrading. When I got my OPO in 2014 the 810 was becoming a thing but there were heating issues which I'm sure you remember. A little overheating when gaming but for multitasking, video playback and battery, for it's time, it was great

Now I use a Samsung Galaxy s7 proper and the 820 seems to handle everything smoothly though it's too early for me to tell if that's due to the hardware or Samsung's software

Should you upgrade to the G5 from the S5? Should you upgrade to the 6P from the S5? Should I upsize my fries with that Big Mac? I feel this was an unnecessary and redundant article. The kind of question a tech illiterate would ask somebody working at a mall carrier kiosk and get fed a load of fancy crap as to why they need the latest and greatest when all they actually do with their phone is gossip on Facebook and play candy crush.

sremick, I agree with you 100% that a removable battery is a must. But I need to give you 1 very important piece of advise. put a piece of black electrical tape over the contacts of the battery when its removed from the phone. I had a battery from my previous S3 explode in my pocket causing third degreee burns to my leg and second degree on my hand from removing the battery from my pants that caught fire. No joke, True story... I still carry an extra battery but always cover the contacts with electrical tape.

I was going to post the same thing, I upgraded my wife's S5 to the S7 Edge and its more than worth it because of the Battery and the camera. The low light performance is amazing. I use a Note 4 and i am about the pull the trigger for the S7 Edge but I am holding out for the Note 6.

The Galaxy S5 is probably the most disappointing one among the Galaxy S line. It looked like Samsung was just trying to throw a phone at their consumers just in time. I really think it was a sad looking phone.

I had the S5, I got rid of it within 6 months. I hated that phone. It Forced this terrible voice dialer app instead of google voice when using bluetooth. Made it almost impossible to make a phone call in my car. I absolutely love the S7 though!!

Yep still use my Galaxy S3 Everyday. Not a single thing wrong with it. Screen has no scratches or cracks. ( the phone has never been out of a case it's whole life). The phone never gives me amy trouble. I would like to upgrade but at the same time I still like my S3

bs32315 you are a happy go lucky Galaxy 3 user. My Galaxy 2 and 3 died of untimely death at the age of 13 and 14 months, right after the warranty expired. How convenient. Freezing screen. Battery drains while device is off. Using up internet data in 48 hrs with the device being off. Missed calls, echooo s, Will not turn on sometimes. You name it. Got me NEXUS 5 and a piece of mind. Saved a bundle on psychiatrist. Those Galaxies drove me nuts. My NEXUS 5 with the Marshmallow is like a new phone, never a problem – fast and furious. My new NEXUS 6P is the best Android. I use only Pure Android or OIS (my wife that is). Don’t change it if it ain’t broken. Good luck.

Hi, you can get the NEXUS 6P for $50 less. I got the 64gb memory, which I don't need. Paid $550.00 plus tax. You can get the 32 gb for $449.00 plus tax, free shipping. It is a very best, compared to iPhone 6+ or the Galaxy 7, especially for what you pay, plus you will always be up to date. Wish you the best of luck.

We are all different and like different things,
I bought a 6P myself a while ago, I just can't grow to liking it, it doesn't do to much wrong as far as a smart phone goes , but I can't seem to like it after owning 2 galaxy notes , the device is pretty basic, pure Android is fairly basic too.
By the same token I'm not sorry I bought it to try out and see what pure Android is about, but it will be getting the bullet pretty quick compared to my notes.
I still use my note 4 more often than the 6p , it feels better to me and has a lot more features, it's not as quick, but speed isn't everything.
And that is probably relevant to the thread at hand,
if your happy with the way your old device works why not hang on to it,

oldmick, Your comment is quite reasonable. I, myself am not a fanatic about the smart phone I use. However, true to my nature, speed and battery life are important. That's why I am a pure Android man, NEXUS 5, 7, 6p, all the way. I enjoy my 6P though it took me about three months to get use to the size of it. It is a fine pone but I feel the weight in the pocket of my jacket. My all time favorite "phone" is the NEXUS 5, which I managed to change for a brand new one at a low cost of $58. It fits better in my hand than the 6P. Well, that was until today. I applaud Apple for its wise decision to retain the classic design of the iPhone 5S, update the inside of it and introduce a new iteration of an iPhone , a beautiful, sensible, fast and practical phone at a reasonable price. Well, I like it a lot and think the 5SE will be my first iPhone.

On paper, but you will be back. If you are a Nexus fan, there is no substitute, not even a shinny new iphone. But I do think you are right, Apple see's the writing on the wall, there is a market for smaller phones. Others will follow, so it shouldn't be long before you got some more choices in Android.

Still in the S3 camp too. Bought the S6 Active last summer & sold it within two weeks. No issues with it at all, but went back to my still working S3 that is still on its original battery from June 2012. Have never had a phone last as long as this one has. That said, will be looking into the S7A in May/June when it is released.

Common bro don't bring S3 and S4 to the table, they are nice but display is horrible, S5 display as good as S6 and S7, S6 and S7 has are faster and brighter of course camera on S6 and S7 are lot better. Last but not least S6 and S7 are extremely beautiful phones. with SD slot on S7 definitely worth the upgrade. to tell the truth I'm still S5 because I just can't give up photo face tag 'cause it's the most important feature for me. for you guys not a big deal because 9 out of 10 Samsung users don't even know the feature exist and 9 of of 10 out of 10 Samsung users not fully understand and master the Touchwiz. Just buy the S7 you won't regret. DO not ever give if you don't know how to use the phone, go Youtube search for tips and tricks